Karnataka and Israel strengthen cybersecurity partnership with focus on innovation and resilience
The Government of Karnataka and the Consulate General of Israel in Bengaluru convened the Karnataka-Israel Cyber Dialogue 2026 to explore deeper collaboration in cybersecurity innovation, talent development, research, technology and digital resilience.
Held under the theme “Stronger Together. Secure Tomorrow.”, the dialogue was organised as part of Karnataka’s Global Innovation Alliance (GIA), in collaboration with the Consulate General and Trade Mission of Israel in South India and the Centre for Cybersecurity Karnataka (CySecK).
The programme brought together government officials, cybersecurity and technology companies, startups and academia from Karnataka and Israel. A delegation of 10 Israeli cybersecurity companies participated in industry interactions, technology demonstrations and B2B meetings focused on identifying opportunities for practical partnerships.
Discussions centred on four areas: innovation and startups, industry partnerships, talent and skills, and policy and trust. The engagement focused on translating knowledge exchange into collaboration and strengthening the resilience of critical digital infrastructure, businesses and public institutions.
Speaking at the dialogue, Dr. N. Manjula, Secretary, Department of Electronics, IT and BT, Government of Karnataka, said cybersecurity has become an economic and governance priority as digital technologies become increasingly embedded in everyday life.
“Cybersecurity is no longer exclusively a technology issue. It is an economic imperative, a governance priority and a fundamental requirement for building trust in the digital future. Karnataka is rightly placed to engage in such technology collaborations, given our strong technology and innovation ecosystem, skilled talent, startups, research institutions and specialised cybersecurity capabilities,” she said.
Dr. Manjula highlighted Karnataka’s Global Innovation Alliance as a platform for developing international technology and innovation partnerships. She said the Karnataka-Israel engagement could support collaboration across cybersecurity innovation, startup partnerships, talent development, research, technology validation and critical infrastructure protection.
Strengthening Karnataka’s cybersecurity ecosystem
Karnataka has also been strengthening its cybersecurity ecosystem through initiatives including the Karnataka Cyber Security Policy 2024, which focuses on cybersecurity awareness, skills development, research and innovation, startup growth and collaboration between government, industry and academia.
The state has established CySecK to support cybersecurity awareness, skilling, startup incubation, innovation and ecosystem collaboration. The centre brings together government, academia, industry, startups and researchers to strengthen cybersecurity capabilities in Karnataka.
Dr. Manjula also highlighted the CySecK team’s participation in Cybertech Israel and said Karnataka is exploring deeper engagement with the global cybersecurity ecosystem, including the possibility of Bengaluru hosting Cybertech in the future. Knowledge-exchange initiatives involving institutions such as Tel Aviv University are also being explored to strengthen institutional and technology partnerships.
Orli Weitzman, Consul General of Israel to South India, said the engagement reflects the growing India-Israel partnership and the complementary strengths of the two ecosystems.
“India and Israel share a culture of problem solving, with a strong emphasis on education, entrepreneurship and innovation. Cybersecurity is one of the clearest areas where our two ecosystems can work together. When Israeli technology and experience meets India’s extraordinary talent, scale and technological capabilities, the potential impact goes far beyond our two countries,” she said.
The participation of Israeli cybersecurity companies provided Karnataka-based startups and businesses with an opportunity to engage directly with technology providers and explore potential collaborations. Technology demonstrations and B2B meetings were also held as part of the programme.
The recommendations emerging from the dialogue will be consolidated into a white paper to inform future policy considerations and recommendations for strengthening cybersecurity in Karnataka.
The Karnataka-Israel Cyber Dialogue builds on the growing relationship between the two ecosystems across technology, innovation and economic cooperation, with the latest engagement focused on developing longer-term collaboration in cybersecurity, resilience and digital trust.